Not all the same
by Fluffymausi-chan
Summary: They meet again and she is sure that there is something about that man. Something had changed. Perhaps it was her? Was this the reason she felt attracted to him?


_Hello there ;) _

_This idea struck me during a rainy day. Call me crazy for that pairing but what should I say, I became addicted because of the fanfics of Miss Mungoe. You should totally check those stories out! _

_I do hope that there aren't many mistakes, if you find some, please let me know! Also I am sorry for OOCness, Mihawk and Hancock are difficult to write._

_Have fun ;)_

* * *

**Not all the same**

The wind was tugging at her hooded cloak with the rain as its comrade, hitting the hidden person without mercy. The dark clouds did nothing to lighten up the atmosphere as they hung lowly in the sky and all the while hiding the sun and its rays of light. The whole scenario was utterly depressing and although she didn't have a reason to cry, she could not help one tear to escape her eyes. It was embarrassing and absolutely stupid, she realized with a bitter smile, but she had to come. She had to come here and apologize.

Looking ahead she saw her destination. The way up to it was a little muddy because of the never-ending rain but she wasn't bothered by it. And sure enough her shoes were soiled not after long and her dress was also stained by the mud and the rain. But she had made up her mind to come here, so there was no way she would go back because of some mud on her clothes. After all this was not reducing her beautifulness in the least.

Holding her hood in place she marched up the hill, slightly cursing the rain as it had only begun when she had decided to come here. It was just her luck wasn't it? All the others had a sunny day to come by and pay their respects to both of them, but as soon as she had stepped of her ship the rain had hit down on her. Glancing at the black sky she felt the need to call her familiar to stay with her in this storm but decided against it after all. She would do this alone.

Finally she reached the two tombstones with their names on them. A chill run down her spine when she remembered the last time she had seen them. The war at Marineford. Her eyes examined the smaller grave which was decorated with many flowers and other things people had brought with them. She even spotted bottles of sake between the flower bouquets. Those looked beyond sad because of the downpour, only underlining the whole depressing feeling she had since she had stepped on this island. Tracing the name of the young man with her fingers, she got down on her knees to lay a bouquet of her own next to the others. It weren't expensive flowers but they were typical ones from Amazon Lily. A sigh escaped her lips when she lowered her head and closed her eyes to whisper the words she had prepared long before she arrived here.

"I wanted to thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for protecting Luffy when we couldn't."

She folded her hands in a praying gesture.

"I hope you will keep watching over him, even when we aren't there. He still needs his big brother."

The wind was again pulling at her hood and her long black hair but she paid it no attention, instead focused on the memories of that young man who had given his life away for his younger brother.

"I want to apologize for being on the battlefield but on the wrong side. I am sorry for not being of much help during this war of injustice and for not being able to help protect the boy. I am deeply sorry."

Bowing her head even lower she bit her lips when she remembered Luffy's scream of agony amid all the battles. She had cursed her title of Shichibukai as it had made her look like a traitor. She didn't want to look like a lapdog of the navy but there was no way to change it. Because of her position, she could protect her own people but helping other pirates was beyond limits. It had hurt her seeing her new friend suffering because of his loss. If the Redhead Shanks had not shown up, she didn't want to imagine the disaster that would have happened.

"I am sorry Portgas D. Ace. Rest in peace."

Heaving a sigh she lifted her head again to notice two things. First, her hood had been blown of her head because of the strong wind, leaving her unprotected against the rain. The second thing was no thing but a person. She had been so focused on her speech to sense him coming. Straightening her shoulders, she didn't turn around to face him. She knew who he was. He had seen one of her vulnerable sides and she was not going to show him more of her weaknesses with the few stray tears on her cheeks. Instead she kept her gaze on the tombstone in front of her, listening to the howling wind and ignoring the rain that soaked her to the bones.

She heard him stepping closer but against her expectations he didn't come to stand by her side but made his way to the other grave. It was a huge tombstone with a sword in it. The wind had ripped the floral wreathes from it and made it look all the more cold and dead. She watched him from the corner of her eyes. He stood there, arms crossed but instead of closing his eyes like she had done minutes ago, his glance rested on the white stone. No one said anything. She had paid her respect already and although she had wanted at first to say something in front of the other grave too, she felt that it wasn't her place. She had known Whitebeard not very well, only met him a few times and had heard many stories about the man that had seen himself as a father only to be killed by one of his sons in the end. He had been a legend on the seas and he had been one of the few men she had tolerated in her environment. But it didn't change the fact that she felt somehow bothered again. Mainly because of her title. Again.

"Mih.."

She stopped herself from calling him, trying to look like she had not said anything at all. She felt her cheeks reddening because of her foolishness. What had she tried to do? He didn't seem to have heard her and she was grateful for it… or wasn't she?

Giving Ace's grave a last look she got up from the soiled ground without a word. Her wet hair stuck to her face and although it was rather useless to put the hood back on now, she did it to avoid looking at him. It was embarrassing enough as it was now. She turned away from the graves to make her way back to her ship to realize something. Although the path up to the two tombstones was now wet and muddy, she could clearly see how many people had been here before her. Again, she felt a shiver roll down her spine. Both men had had many people loving them. A small smile on her lips that looked rather creepy giving the circumstances, she went back to her ship.

It was only when she was halfway down the hill when she felt him following her with his eyes. She tried to ignore his presence but it was awfully difficult. His whole body was brimming with strength and power. There was no way she could not notice this beside other things about him.. No! She would not think about it again! Whom was she kidding? Her mind kept circling about that moment just by sensing his presence..

* * *

_It had been one of those meetings of the Shichibukai. Now that there were new members like Blackbeard, the scum of the new era, Trafalgar Law and that stupid clown Buggy, they had all to assemble to get a briefing on what would happen if one was to break the rules again. That Navy-man in charge had looked at her while saying this but she had chosen to ignore his pointing stare. She knew that the navy was angry at her because she had dared to help Luffy so openly during the war, but so had Law and even that Buggy. _

_She suppressed an annoyed sigh while taking a seat between the two members that were always quiet and whom she knew the longest in this Shichibukai-business. Kuma was holding onto his bible and was staring ahead and she asked herself if this was the real Kuma or a cyborg again. It was difficult to tell. _

_To her right sat Dracule Mihawks, the best swordsman in the world, with his typical hat and Yoru at his side. The sword radiated power and she gave it a once over with a quick glance. It had a frightening strength and as she thought back at his attack against Whitebeard she felt a lump forming in her throat. It was one of the few moments she had witnessed his abilities. He was a scary fighter. _

_She wanted to look away from the blade, only to find Mihawk staring at her. He didn't say anything, just kept looking at her. His special eyes seemed to watch right through her, the yellow colour gleamed in the shadows of his hat and making her feel uncomfortable. She hated men. She really did. But something about this man always felt off. Something felt different whenever she looked at him. Holding his gaze, she tried to find out what it was but was interrupted when the crazy Doflamingo sat himself on top of the table. No one seemed to like it but they all knew better than to voice those thoughts. He was only provoking them and she shot him a deadly glare when he gave her a dirty smile. _

_"The meeting can begin." _

_The whole conference had been nothing more than an exchange of blows from Doflamingo against Law and Blackbeard while Buggy was busy not showing his fear of all the powerful pirates around him. Kuma and Hawk-Eyes were the only ones staying silent during the whole meeting and only listened to the banters with mild interest. Like always. _

_With a cold expression that fit her like a perfect mask, she left the conference after it was finally over to go to her quarters she had received during her stays at Mariejois. It had been rather exhausting but after convincing the man of the Navy that she would stick to the rules, they agreed to let it slip as no bigger damage had been made by her. She had shot Law a glare as to not say anything about Luffys stay on her island which he acknowledged with a serious nod. The navy did not have to know everything after all. _

_She was caressing her familiar while wandering through the enormous corridors. The place gave off a faint feeling of a holy sanctuary and even though she would never tell anyone; it made her feel self-conscious walking around as a pirate. She could already see the door of her room, but as she wanted to touch the doorknob, she felt a rather unpleasant presence behind her. Sure enough she found herself confronted with the mad man Doflamingo as she turned around. _

_"What do you want?"_

_Her voice made it clear that she was not in the mood to deal with that bastard. She knew that he was a powerful opponent and that she stood little chance against him, but it didn't scare her. _

_"Why do you not consider working with me Empress? We would make a good team."_

_He was obviously not speaking about forming a team. That dirty smile had given his intentions right away. _

_Her familiar hissed dangerously at her side and she bristled when she felt one of his large hands cupping her chin. At first she had wanted to struggle out of his grip but examining his typical sunglasses and that sadistic smirk on his lips she knew that it would be wiser to keep a cool head. Only those with a weak heart and fear risked to be a pawn in his game. So instead of fighting back she gave him an icy cold glare. _

_"Keep your hands off me Doflamingo."_

_The threat was audible and she swore she saw his smirk getting wider because of it, but he wouldn't let her go. This was his game and she felt a shiver ghosting over her skin when she tried to stay her ground by not breaking their eye contact. _

_Sure, there had been many occasions where that man had made advances on her but until now she had always dealt with them easily. It was different this time. That man seemed to have run out of patience and his whole body looked tense. Something must have happened to make him this daring and dangerous. Did someone provoke him? Perhaps it had been Law? Or Mihawk? Why was she even thinking about him? There was no way he had had an argument with Doflamingo._

_Before she could repeat her words, he came closer to her, looming over her form._

_"Now, now little Empress. You kept me waiting long enough. I would be really sad if you were to decline again."_

_She knew that by sad he meant angry as he was clearly irritated by now but she would not give in. Yanking her head out of his grip she wanted to open the door, but suddenly she was not able to move a muscle. How come she had let her guard down? Even among the Shichibukais she had always paid attention to be cautious all the time. What had made her forget this? The thoughts about that strong man? Glancing over her shoulder she saw his wicked smirk that made her furious. She hated him! She hated men!_

_"Let me go this instant, you creep!"_

_He had no intention of letting her go, but moved his fingers which made her turn around again. The snake at her side was hissing again, ready to attack but she gave it a look to stay back. Every move would only get them deeper into this mess. He liked playing with others and she was no fool to think that she stood a chance, especially now when he had her captured. The only way out of it was through words. _

_Again she felt a filthy hand stroke her cheek while he was backing her up against the door. Her familiar was no longer listening to her and winding itself around Doflamingos neck to strangle him but he didn't bother defending himself. _

_"That worm is awfully annoying."_

_With a snap of his fingers her friend hissed in pain and fell to the floor. Her eyes widened and she watched her fall to the floor._

_"Salome!" _

_The worry was now clearly visible as well as the anger boiling in the Pirate Empress. No one dared to hurt her friend!_

_"You filth! I will get your head for this!"_

_"I think you don't know your place little princess."_

_The stupid nickname made her even angrier._

_Bracing herself against his powers, she tried to form a heart with her hands but he didn't let her. That ugly smirk on his lips was growing and she wanted to punch it of his face or turn that whole creep to stone. His face was closing in on hers and she bristled because of the daring attack of the man. _

_"Back off!", she growled not in the least bit ladylike, but she didn't care. That man would not kiss her! _

_He was simply ignoring her. Her eyes widened and she felt fear creeping up from her toes to her heart. _

_Just when his filthy lips where about to kiss her, she felt another presence that was no radiating with power and coldness. From the corner of her eyes she saw him approaching without haste. Should she cry for help? Would he help her? _

_Doflamingo gave him a wide smirk, before turning his attention back to the lady in front of him. When he was about to try kissing her again, the newcomer spoke up._

_"You are in the way."_

_The dark voice had a threatening undertone, making it clear that Doflamingo did better to get away while he could. _

_"Huh?! Got a problem Hawk-eyes?"_

_That ugly smirk was not leaving his face and it was visible that he was more than a little irritated because of the interruption. She turned her head as good as she could to the swordsman. There was no way she would show him how scared she was but it was obvious that she felt more than uncomfortable._

_"I don't tend to repeat myself, Doflamingo."_

_He had his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing the man in front of him like a predator its prey. He would not go away. _

_Both men watched each other, ready to fight if one dared to move a muscle. The tension in the air was nearly visible. She could only watch silently, afraid that if she said something, there would be a fight. Mihawk didn't break the eye contact and she remembered this look from back at Marineford. It seemed so long ago. Even now she was losing track of time. _

_How come she was at the mercy of a man? How come she was not strong enough? How come she had let down her guard? How come he was here? _

_Her breaths were shallow and she tried to break free of the invisible strings while he was busy staring at Mihawk, but he noticed this and before his fingers could make a move to wind the strings closer around her form, he found himself suddenly inches away from a dark blade. Mihawk had only unsheathed his sword and held it as a line between Doflamingo and the Empress as a silent warning. It was obviously clear that the swordsman was not joking. She wanted to understand what made him act like this but there was no time to get lost in thoughts now. _

_The sword was still in front of her and although she had been a little impressed and vary of that weapon at first, she didn't feel any ill intention being directed towards her, which made the tension in her body a little less. He was not her opponent. _

_Doflamingo had still his crazy smirk on his face but made no move. If he did it would surely end up in a fight. He knew as well as the others that a fight amid the hoy halls of__Mariejois could cost them their position of Shichibukai. That dreadful title…_

_Finally stepping back, she felt the strings loosening around her body and just when he was about to spout some of his nasty threats at Hawk-eyes, the Empress had made her move. A voice at the back of her mind shouted that it was a crazy idea and that she was beyond stupid, but her wounded pride was ignoring that voice. _

_"Perfume Femur!"_

_Before her foot could make contact with Doflamingos jewels between his legs, she was stopped by a sword in front of her. Glaring at the man that had dared to hinder her, she saw the serious expression on Hawk-eyes face that made it clear that he would not tolerate her going on a rampage either. She opened her mouth to argue with him, but he beat her to it. _

_"Enough. I recommend you to take your leave Doflamingo."_

_The voice was as sharp as the blade in front of her. She eyed Doflamingo with hatred and anger but refrained from attacking him again. The man in question stood there for a few more minutes before he left with his typical irritating grin and a wave of his hand. _

_"See ya."_

_She boiled with anger but straightened her shoulders when the scum had rounded the corner. Although there was still another man close to her, she felt the tension leaving her body. It was strange. _

_A deaf silence fell upon them and she knew that she had to thank him. Even though he was a man, he had saved her and she knew that as an Empress there was no way she would leave without thanking him properly. Sure, she was a very proud woman and didn't like showing her weaknesses, but there were times one had to swallow the pride and do the right thing._

_As she had made sure that Salome was alright she finally turned to the silent swordsman. It was only until then that she noticed that it had become dark outside. His figure had grown because of the vanishing light, making him look even more dangerously. His eyes glowed under his hat and she suddenly felt like his prey. A snake under the watchful eyes of a hawk. _

_"Thank you, Dracule Mihawk."_

_Her voice sounded strong and made it seem as if she was alright, even though she was feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. It was the first time they had spoken to each other wasn't it? He remained quiet and was about to go past her when she felt that power that radiated of him again. It made her heart beat so loudly in her chest that she was afraid it would burst any second. She wanted to put her cold mask back in place when she suddenly realized it. She had felt at ease around him, simply because he acknowledged her. She had seen the spark of respect in his breath-taking eyes._

_"You are welcome, Snake Empress."_

_With that he was gone, leaving her in the growing darkness of the corridor. She leaned on the door, watching Salome regaining consciousness and caressing her head. She would have gone in her room, but her legs felt too shaky to comply with her wish. _

The rain was still not stopping and she had been so lost in thoughts that she didn't realize the man, who was making her head ache, silently walking next to her. He was a mysterious person. He was not falling for her charms and he gave her the feeling of being someone worthy. Worthy for what?

She wanted to ask him several questions, like why he was here, why didn't he say anything and why he had saved her that day. But she remained silent. How come she felt the need to stay with him a little longer despite her hatred towards men? He was not Luffy! Yeah, he was not Luffy.. She could have asked the rubber man everything and she always felt comfortable around him. But this was entirely different. This was a more mature feeling, a longing for a strong person that would cherish her and would make her forget her hurtful past. Was she becoming crazy?

A soft sigh escaped her lips when she finally reached her ship. A few amazons were on deck waiting for her return and were on guard as they spotted Mihawk walking alongside their Empress. She gave them a curt nod that she was getting on board when she felt a piercing stare on her back. She froze in her tracks and although she could hear her warriors getting worried and yelling commands to gather all on deck, she couldn't shake of this feeling. He waited for something.

She looked over her shoulder to the quiet man that had yet to say something. But words would have been needless as he had asked a simple question simply by looking at her. She felt it again. That tugging on her heart felt even stronger now that she was distancing herself from him. That comfortable strength around him was something she would have never called attractive. But it was. It really was.

And before she could think that whole thing through she saw under the brim of his hat a small smile that made his eyes shine even more in the shadow. They held many dangers, passion and strength. Without a second thought she did something she would only have given to Luffy. She gave him a warm smile. A smile that held a deeper meaning that only he could understand.

With this she boarded her ship, ready to return to her home island. As she looked back once again, she saw him still standing in the rain. For an outsider it must have looked as if they were not on good terms but she knew that she would meet him again and she was already curious about how it would develop. After all, not all men were the same.

* * *

_I really hope you liked the pair. I am not a big fan of Doflamingo and he seemed as a very good antagonist in this one. Also, it might seem strange for Hancock to pay her respect to Whitebeard and Ace but she is a pirate after all and I can imagine her being a little changed after the encounter with Luffy. After all not all men are the same ;) It was also really difficult putting a lot of dialog into the story as Mihawk is a man of few words but I think there can also be communication just by looking at someone. It fits both characters better in my opinion. Perhaps I have infected you with the Mihawk/Hancock pairing and there will be more people ready to write about them. __Thanks for giving my story a try! See you around._

_- your FMC_


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